Nicotine in Treating "Hunger Pain" in Patients With Malignant Bowel Obstruction Caused By Cancer

• Status: Withdrawn
• Trial end date: 1969-12-31
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

RATIONALE: The use of a nicotine inhaler may help decrease appetite and relieve "hunger pain" (an intense craving for food) in patients with malignant bowel obstruction caused by cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying the side effects and how well a nicotine inhaler works in treating "hunger pain" in patients with malignant bowel obstruction caused by cancer.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Mayo Clinic
• Collaborator: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Treatments: Nicotine

Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of any incurable malignancy

• Presence of malignant bowel obstruction

• Must be on strict "nothing per os" (NPO) status over the next 48 hours

• Ice chips allowed

• Acknowledges that "hunger pain" is a problem

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Mentally competent

• No history of life-threatening arrhythmia

• No severe or worsening angina

• No accelerated hypertension

• No known hypersensitivity to nicotine

• Not pregnant or nursing

• Negative pregnancy test

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Concurrent short-term use of dexamethasone or other hormonal therapy or symptom control strategy allowed